CU program wins NOAA research bid

BOULDER – A climate-change program at the University of Colorado at Boulder won a competitive bid from the federal government to receive up to $32 million annually.The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES, won the bid, which means its funding will continue for at least five and up to 10 years, according to a press statement. CIRES employs about 715 workers in Boulder, according to the Boulder County Business Report’s database.Funding for the program comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which also has a Boulder office. A NOAA spokeswoman said no staffing or funding changes are expected.CIRES workers study Earth-system relationships between the atmosphere, oceans, land, living things and the sun’s energy.“Improving our understanding of the Earth system is critically important as the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is forcing changes in all of its processes,” Robert Detrick, assistant NOAA administrator for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, said in the press statement.CIRES workers study weather models to better predict how solar storms can disrupt communication and navigation technologies, among other things.The amount of the award is expected to change from year to year, based on the availability of funding in the federal budget, according to the press statement.CIRES is one of 18 NOAA cooperative institutes across the nation. NOAA offices in Boulder employ 908 workers, including federal employees, affiliates from CU and Colorado State University, and contract workers, according to the Boulder County Business Report database.